Apprentice-turned-entrepreneur Adam Lambley has told young Britons to consider work-based routes instead of racking up student debt.
Mr Lambley, who bypassed the traditional degree route, told GB News that his apprenticeship served as a “springboard” for his career, allowing him to take complete ownership of his work from the age of 18.
While thousands of graduates across the country face “astonishing” interest rates on student loans, Mr Lambley says the apprenticeship route gave him a massive financial head start.
He told GB News: “So with my story and apprenticeships, I started off as an apprentice.
“I was self-employed while also doing an apprenticeship, and it gave me a springboard to take ownership of my work from the age of 18, working long hours and learning on the job.
“Today, I run two companies, both of which have been quite successful.
“I think the new apprenticeship schemes are a very valuable move.
“For me, apprenticeships provided my first level of employment and taught me the value of hard work early on, which has allowed me to build successful businesses and reach a fortunate position today.
GB News host Olivia Utley said: “I have to say, Adam, I’m very, very jealous of you.
“I’m one of those people stuck on the student loan system, so the amount I’m paying in interest is astonishing.
“You, on the other hand, don’t have a student loan at all. To be honest, from my perspective, university is becoming a bit of a waste of money for many people. What do you make of that?”
He replied: “I believe university does have a lot of value. I’ve met university students who have gone on to be very successful.
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“But I also see that the loans and the interest can be overwhelming, leaving many people feeling like they’ll never pay them off.
“For me, apprenticeships allowed me to earn, invest, and save from a young age.
“Compared to someone with a student loan, having that early financial freedom can make a huge difference in the long term.”
Despite the massive push by previous governments to funnel 50 per cent of young people into higher education, Adam says he felt “shoehorned” into applying for university before deciding to break the mould.
He eventually secured a January intake apprenticeship move he says was inspired by his own “curiosity” about how real businesses actually function.
“I felt like within my apprenticeship, there wasn’t a day where I wasn’t looking at financial statements or learning about a new company,” he said.
“That for me was very inspiring to then take that leap to start my own companies.”
He is now calling on the Government to lower the “barriers to entry” for apprenticeship schemes, which he describes as “quite tough to get into,” to ensure more young people can trade the lecture hall for the boardroom.
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